Background and procedural informationHJR 13 would have amended Art. XI of the Ohio constitution to create an
independent apportionment commission. The primary sponsor was Rep. Kevin Dewine. Ohio currently uses a commission to
draw districts, but the commission is composed of a mix of politicians
and members of the public. This bill would replace the politicians from
the commission with four political appointees, and three appointments by the remaining members. The bill ultimately failed.

Under the proposed legislation, are single-member districts a requirement or otherwise implied?Yes. The bill, HJR 13, specifically allocates one member per district.
Additionally, it explicitly references the 99 house districts and 33
senate districts of which the committee is charged with drawing the
boundaries. Currently, Ohio law provides for 99 representatives and 33
senators, so this language could be interpreted as a requirement for
single-member districts. Further, Art. XI § 5, which remains unchanged
by this amendment, explicitly provides for single member districts.Does the proposed legislation provide for Voting Rights Act compliance (e.g. can the commission use voter history information)?Yes. The bill requires any plans to comply with the Ohio and federal
constitutions, and any applicable provisions relating to the protection
of minority voting rights.

Under the proposed legislation, how is the commission formed?The bill proposes a 7-member board. One member is appointed by the
speaker of the Ohio house, one is appointed by the house minority
leader, one is appointed by the president of the Ohio senate, and one
is appointed by the Senate minority leader. The remaining three members
are appointed by the aforementioned four members who shall give
consideration to the diversity of the state. Additionally no members
can be past or present partisan elected officials or candidates.

Under the proposed legislation, are competitive districts favored?Yes, when competition does not conflict with our established criteria
(ie: compactness, contiguity, preservation of existing political
subdivisions). Competition is measured by taking the average
presidential partisanship from the last three cycles and ensuring that
the partisanship of a proposed district falls within 5 points.

Under the proposed legislation, can members of the public submit plans?Yes. The bill explicitly allows residents to submit plans and requires the commission to allow for public input.

Does the proposed legislation allow for mid-decade redistricting?The bill states that the apportionment board is to meet only in years
ending in "1," starting with 2011, but it makes no references to other
times apportionment is allowed nor bans future redistricting.